So, it turns out they want to make a Willy Wonka solo movie. It wasn’t that long ago that we saw Johnny Depp play the titular character in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it seems that despite that film being quite fresh in everyone’s minds, the studio believes is still an opportunity to bring a fresher approach to the character to movie fans.
However if you were like me dreading another trip to the chocolate factory, Variety reports that this will not be another retelling of Roald Dahl’s famous story, but rather focusing on the character’s early adventures before all this took place. In fact, the character of Charlie is likely not to feature at all. However, as with all things, if the first film turns out to be a success, they may end up turning this into a franchise, which then opens up the opportunity for introducing Charlie at a later stage and perhaps eventually remaking Charlie and the Chocolate Factory story along with its sequel, the lesser known Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.
The revival is being brought to the screen by Harry Potter producer David Heyman, with writer Simon Rich (The Secret Life of Pets) handling the screenplay. Warner Bros, who were involved in the 2005 release, have reportedly purchased the full movie rights to the Willy Wonka character, so can expand as required, even though this story will not form part of Roald Dahl’s initial storylines.
Despite Willy Wonka actually being a minor character in Roald Dahl’s books, the character has always been the main focus in the movies, largely because of the odd secrecy and peculiarities around him, but also because of the portrayals from its stars, Johnny Depp in 2005 and the late Gene Wilder in 1971. While, I prefer Wilder’s more subtle portrayal, both were critically well received and so whoever takes on the role of Willy Wonka would have big shoes to fill. Depp could always make a return to the character, but I doubt they will want to go down that road and will likely be looking for someone else to take it on.
Who do you think would be the right person to take on the role of Willy Wonka?
Last Updated: October 21, 2016
